[Closed] Cannock or Llandegla?

Not that many grins at Cannock - couple of decent downhill sections but the rest is undulating. More of an fitness/xc circuit in my book.
Never done Llandegla.
Did FOD blue run with my son last weekend and it was fun.

Since the addition of the new section, I'd say Llandegla just edges it for me. It's a personal thing though, I'm enjoying jumping at the moment and Llandegla has a plenty of opportunities to get airborne.

I'm sure you'll be grinning whichever one you visit.

I'd agree Cannock is more of an XC type affair but it is a pretty good course for all year round biking and the downs on the Monkey sections are certainly reward for grinding the uphill bits!

Llandegla. New trail sections and a really good cafe for after the ride.

Really enjoy cannock. However Llandegla was so much more fun.

Neither really offer that much in the way of long downhills but I prefer Cannock for the rocky black-graded bits, the switch back climbs and the opportunity to do a few runs of the downhill tracks over at Stile Cop (about half way round). Cafe at Cannock is appalling though .....

Llandegla does make a great breakfast stop on a weekend run to North Wales 🙂

I liked Cannock on my first visit recently, although wouldn't describe it as a real grinner - more nice riding through the woods with a few rocky sections. The first loop is very sedate, the second one is good though. Seemed like a good spot if you knew the area for other trails to mix things up. It was also absolutely stowed out when I was there, packed, although this was over Christmas - don't know what it's like on a normal weekend. Cafe did seem to be bobbins as SimonR says - totally overwhelmed when I popped in for a coffee. Could be down to the busy time I went.

For some reason I always imagined the word 'chase' would mean wide open spaces, like a moor. Surprised to see Cannock is the opposite, really thick woodland. Nice atmospheric riding in parts.

I like Cannock. My usual route is to go left when it branches off to the monkey, cross the road at the bottom and go over to stile cop for a few runs then join the monkey for the last 2 climbs/descents as I find a lot of that side of the road quite boring and pedally.

Are people really rating the trails on what cafes are nearby? No wonder there are so many tubsters about on bikes.

Cannock, 5 cafes, Little Fawn at Milford, proper chips/mushy peas etc, Springslade, proper bacon sausage and egg etc, Marquis drive cakes n coffee, Pines mega fry ups and proper custard puddings. The other one I can't remember the last time I went in.... 😯

I rode cannock on sunday just gone and wasn't very impressed. Too many braking bumps on pretty much every berm and not very flowy at all. I rode forest of dean a few weeks back and the trails there were alot better. Not rode llandegla yet but its on my list to do this year

Nick

I agree with spudnick, for me Cannock is massively overrated. Llandegla all the way for me, there is a lot of climbing to do but if you like jumps then the new dh bits are loads of fun.

I used to prefer Cannock, but since the addition of the new stuff at Llandegla, it beats Cannock hands down.

I'm going against the flow here, but I'd always chose Cannock. Specifically the Monkey Trail. Narrow, twisty, muddy, rocky... love it.

Llandegla just seems soulless. It's improved recently, but the only really fun bit is the short jumpy section of the new black.

But, and it's a bit but, the amount of litter at Cannock always really depresses me. Do mountain bikers have that little respect for the outdoors?

Like both but I've always enjoyed Llandegla more

Never noticed a lot of climbing there though!?

I am with Brown on this one

" I'm going against the flow here, but I'd always chose Cannock. Specifically the Monkey Trail. Narrow, twisty, muddy, rocky... love it."

Deggy is fun, but for me seems lacking in feel, far too smooth and too easy to go fast on without any real effort required. More of a forest based jump park.

Cannock is a bit trickier, the braking bumps and tree roots all add up for me, making it more interesting.

Each to there own though. There both god in their own way.

Is a FS overkill for cannoock? never been and considering a visit, other bike is fully rigid??

Not really - go fast, do the black bits. Investigate other areas.

You get something different out of it on a light bike - charge round as quick as you can. A nimble bike helps as it goes up and down quite a bit.

I think it adds a bit of variety to try both - neither stands out as wrong.

I would definately come down on the side of Cannock .... rode Llandegla for the first time back in november after reading all the hype and have got to say I was totally underwhelmed, yes there are a few nice descents but nowhere near enough reward for the climbing needed to get to the descents!
Braking bumps at cannock do spoil the 'flow' but as Thortz says that just adds to the challenge!

FWIW,there's only about 1500ft of climbing at Llandegla,hardly a lot is it ?

Oh & the Chase is up the road from me,but I'd choose Llandegla everytime....

I haven't been to either for a few years. IMHO LLandegla is for the jumper/berm rider. Cannock a much more XC/Trail centre. Both are fine (though I am a wheels on the ground rider) so Cannock would edge it for me, especially as I have ridden there for years before any marked trails so am happy to find my own way when the marked trails are full of people or in a mess. The last time I went and it must be 4 years ago I got pretty depressed cos a lot of the trails near to the Car Park and in the trees were amazingly muddy cos of the time of year and number of users but what got to me was how the trails were getting wider and wider as riders avoided puddles and mud. But as I said that is quite a few years ago now.

Oh and BTW where do you live? I'm in Stoke so Cannock is about 50 minutes and Llandegla about 110 minutes. To me I do not think Cannock is worth a drive of more than 60 minutes (though perhaps if I lived closer to Brum I'd have a different opinion. I can ride to the White Peak in 60 minutes) and to be honest as Llandegla is not really suited to my riding if I was going that far I'd probably go further and try out CyB.

Ive not yet been to Llandegla but the Chase is just down the road. Follow the Dog is a bit on the easy side but fun if you rid it as fast as you can. The Monkey is really good and it feels a lot more than 7.5 miles it is the only place that I actually enjoy the climbs, I hate fire road climbs hateful but the narrow switchback climbs on the Monkey are really good. I think this is because you have to think about getting round the corners you cant just ride and turn, you will fall over.

Its as usual horses for courses. They are two very different riding spots.There is stacks of other riding on the Chase if you dont know the area get a map and a compass and keep your eyes peeled for those hidden gems on the north side of the Chase (thats over the road from Tackeroo campsite) or try and hook up with a local rider who may be willing to take you on a guided ride.
Llandegla is fun but I would always add on the 'Masts loop' outside the trail centre for one of the best fast natural descents there is around this end of the UK. The rest of the trail is rideable by all on whatever bike you happen to have taken as well as the skills areas and freeride area etc etc.
Let me throw another one in there for you to mull over for an 'out there feeling on what seem like less 'trail centre' type surface- Penmachno Loops 1&2.
CyB for me always feels like its been worked at to try and be like the Scottish trail centres in terms of technical challenges but with the edge of being too tamed down almost.Thats not to say that the trails there are not fun, they just aint quite the same as say Kirroughtree or Dalbeattie.
My advice is actually go do them all this year and then decide for yourself which you prefer.....

Llandegla nice trails awesome cafe

Have not seen the new additions, but previously Llandegla Black think Cannock Red in difficulty.